William Dean Howells

William Dean Howells
Born	(1837-03-01)March 1, 1837 Martins Ferry (then Martinsville), Ohio, U.S.
Died	May 11, 1920(1920-05-11) (aged 83) Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Language	English
Genre	novel drama literary criticism
Literary movement	American Realism
Signature
United States Consul to Venice
In office 1861–1865
Appointed by	Abraham Lincoln
Preceded by	J. J. Sprenger

William Dean Howells (/ˈhaʊəlz/; March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of The Atlantic Monthly, as well as for the novels The Rise of Silas Lapham and A Traveler from Altruria, and the Christmas story "Christmas Every Day," which was adapted into a 1996 film of the same name.